And the most critical clause: if they ever attempted to evict me or transfer the property, their tenancy was instantly revoked, they had to pay a $50,000 penalty to the trust, and they would be prosecuted for fraud.<\/p>\n
There was also a video file on a USB drive.<\/p>\n
In the video, my mother spoke clearly. She explained that Richard was forcing her to sign documents while she was heavily medicated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am signing under duress, Clara,\u201d she said in the video, her voice trembling. \u201cBut the house is already yours. It has been in the trust for years. They cannot touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I called Mr. Vance, my mother\u2019s old attorney.<\/p>\n
\u201cClara, this is massive,\u201d Mr. Vance said after reviewing the files. \u201cThe will they showed you is a forgery. They tried to register the transfer at the county office last week, but the county database has a flag on the title.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do we do?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe let them walk into the trap,\u201d Mr. Vance said.<\/p>\n
On Monday morning, Richard and Leo tried to finalize the sale of the house to a private developer.<\/p>\n
They had forged my mother\u2019s signature on the final sale agreement.<\/p>\n
But the title company called Mr. Vance. And Mr. Vance called the police.<\/p>\n
A week after I was evicted, my phone rang.<\/p>\n
It was Richard. He was sobbing.<\/p>\n
\u201cClara, please come here fast,\u201d he wept.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is wrong, Richard?\u201d I asked. I made my voice sound worried.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust come! The police are here. There is a mistake with the deed. They say we forged the signatures. Clara, tell them you gave us the papers!\u201d<\/p>\n
I drove to the Seattle house. The rain was pouring.<\/p>\n
I walked through the front door.<\/p>\n
Richard was sitting on the kitchen chair. His hands were cuffed behind his back.<\/p>\n
Leo was sitting on the sofa, looking terrified, with a police officer standing over him.<\/p>\n
Mr. Vance was standing by the counter, holding the blue folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cClara!\u201d Richard cried, trying to stand up. \u201cTell them! Tell them your mother gave us the house. Tell them we didn\u2019t forge anything!\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked over to the counter. I picked up the blue folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou took my mother\u2019s files from my room,\u201d I said calmly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a mistake, Clara!\u201d Richard stammered. \u201cWe were just sorting things out.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll let you live in the main bedroom! Just tell the officers it is a family matter!\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Leo. He was staring at the floor. His smirk was completely gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me my mother never loved me,\u201d I said to Leo.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just joking, Clara,\u201d Leo whispered. \u201cPlease. We can work this out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned to the police officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese men forged my mother\u2019s signature on a will and a sale contract,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd they stole my personal property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClara, no!\u201d Richard screamed as the officers pulled him up. \u201cWe are family!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cYou\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n
They were led out of the house in the rain.<\/p>\n
Richard and Leo were charged with grand theft, forgery, and financial fraud. They couldn\u2019t pay the $50,000 penalty to the trust.<\/p>\n
They are currently awaiting trial. The developer pulled out, and the house remains mine.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, Mr. Vance came over.<\/p>\n
We sat in the kitchen. The rain had stopped, and the Seattle sun was reflecting off the wet leaves outside.<\/p>\n
I made Earl Grey tea.<\/p>\n
I reached into the chipped ceramic sugar bowl. I took out 2 sugar cubes and dropped them into my cup.<\/p>\n
The house was quiet. But it didn\u2019t feel lonely anymore.<\/p>\n
The sugar bowl is back on the counter. The kitchen is clean.<\/p>\n
The front door is still yellow.<\/p>\n
And the most critical clause: if they ever attempted to evict me or transfer the property, their tenancy was instantly revoked, they had to pay … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category--trending-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n